House Speaker Removes Rep. Snow From Swallow Investigation

Utah House Speaker Rebecca Lockhart has removed Representative Lowry Snow from the special investigative committee of Utah Attorney General John Swallow.

Shortly after House Speaker Lockhart named Representative Snow as the chairman of the investigative committee a report in the Salt Lake Tribune revealed that Snow had a potential conflict of interest. In 2008 Snow served as an attorney for Jeremy Johnson, the man at the center of the allegations made against Utah Attorney General John Swallow. In a written statement Lockhart says it pains her to lose Snow’s talents and leadership but the perception of conflict matters in the public sphere.

Representative Jim Dunnigan of Taylorsville will replace Snow as chairman. He was already a member of the committee. Republican Representative Francis Gibson of Mapleton will fill the vacated spot. He says while he was reluctant to accept at first, he is ready to get to the bottom of the allegations.

“I don’t think I have a preference either way with regards to an outcome as much as just being able to go through the investigative process and see what the committee can learn and educate our other House members,” he says.

The changes leave the committee with only one attorney, although, it still consists of five Republicans and four Democrats. It will hold its first meeting on August 6.